This is a 1908 Commercial DWM German army. This Parabellum is
9mm
with a 4" (100mm) barrel that is proofed and serial numbered to the gun. Serial number placement is in the
civilian ("concealed") style. The thumb
safety is marked "Gesichert" and extractor "Geladen." This example has
all matching numbers. This
piece is a 4 inch (100mm) barreled 9mm Parabellum that was
intended for the civilian market and bought by the Imperial Navy
Kaiserliche Marine
and proofed with the Marinen proofs for use on shore. (633)

This is an extraordinary war trophy; taken
from destroyed home of a WWI Imperial sailor is the all matching DWM
commercial Luger with the Marinen acceptance proof, a 4" holster, a
period belt with the very rare Naval Colonial dress belt buckle in
addition to the proofed dagger and scabbard plus the very picture of the
former owner. A colossal historical find.

NOTE: Photographs taken today
with the high mega-pixel camera show more than we sometimes can see with
the human eye. Magnified close-ups show us tool marks and natural
surface conditions that one normally doesn't see in the ordinary
handling of the weapon. Photographs are
copyrighted, all rights reserved, any extraction, reproduction or
display of gun pictures without the express consent of the Phoenix
Investment Arms is strictly prohibited. Thank you for your cooperation.
Please read "Legal"
for all the terms of the sale.

The extractor is marked "GELADEN". The bore is good with
distinctive lands and groove.
The thumb safety is new style, and blued. The thumb safety is marked 'Gesichert' and
safe is down.

This is a
standard 1914 Model gun designated by collectors. This Luger has
all matching numbers.
The finish is very good and this model has a
hold open latch and stock lug.
The first toggle link is marked
with the S/42 Mauser code. There is the "V" rear sight on the rear
toggle link and the last two digits of the serial number appear. This is a
basic collector gun.

We have been asked to provide a picture
of the Marinen proof without the application of the Lacquer-Stik so that
is can be more clearly seen. It shows a shadow around the proof since it
was struck on a five digit commercial gun after it was blued.

These were the
guns mostly supplied to the I & II Marine Divisions that were deployed
from the ships after the battle of Jutland in May 1916. The Battle
of Jutland is considered to be the only major naval battle of WWI.
Jutland witnessed the British Navy losing more ships (14 ships and
over 6,000 lives) than the Germans (9 ships and over 2,500 casualties).
But the German fleet was never again to be in a position to put to sea
and challenge the British Navy in the North Sea.

This battle did
free the Marine Divisions from sea to land duty.

A graduating class of young sailors from a Torpedo
Division.

The first Seebatallion was
organized on 13 May 1852 as the Royal Prussian
Marinier-Korps at Stettin. This formation
provided small contingents of marines to perform
traditional functions such as protecting
officers, general policing aboard warships and
limited amphibious shore intrusions. The
Seebatallion in 1870 had a strength of 22
officers and 680 non-commissioned officers and
men. Battalion headquarters was then located at
Kiel.

Prussian army
Generalleutnant Albrecht von
Stosch was appointed chief. Stosch
had no experience in naval matters,
but nevertheless, brought
significant administrative talents
to his new post. He also perceived
military power to emanate “from the
tip of an army bayonet.”

SMS Rheinland show in port. At Jutland the biggest battle between
battleships ever was a tactical German victory, but it did not
change the strategic situation for the Hochseeflotte. Locked up in
the North Sea by a British blockade, the German ships were limited
to operate in North and Baltic Sea only and could not support the
few ships operating outside of Europe.

SMS Hindenburg

Stosch ended the practice of placing
marines aboard warships. Instead he adopted a concept that
became known as Infanterieismus. He would train
seamen as naval infantry, qualified in using small arms and
competent in infantry tactics and amphibious operations.
That approach would position the Seebatallion as a
compact, self-contained organization, roughly equivalent to
the British Royal Marine Light Infantry. Enlargement of the battalion to six
companies allowed a reorganization and the transfer of half
of the battalion to Wilhelmshaven to form the II.
Seebatallion. Both battalions were then increased in
size to four companies. Scheduled exchanges of officers from
the Prussian army brought current tactical thinking to the
sea battalions

This is a very difficult
gun to find in such a pristine condition. The German Navy was a salt-water
service and the survivability of the German Imperial fleet was not
enviable. The Parabellums were initially issued with the safety down
but then with the 1908 conversion to safety down the Navy recalled all the
previous Lugers and had the thumb safety modified.

This Parabellum began
as a 1908 commercial 9mm Parabellum. The five digits in the
serial number, the unmarked magazine and the lazy (horizontal Crown
Nitro] Proof is all the evidence in addition to the lack of
military inspection proofs. It is then the extraordinary
appears with the Crown M [Marinen Proof] on the left of the receiver
and the bottom of the magazine we now know the gun was purchased
"off-the-shelf" by the German Imperial Army and issued to the
Imperial Marine.

The inside of the gun is clean and well
cared for and the barrel is shiny and bears clear lands and groves. The most distinctive feature of these
pistols is undoubtedly the toggle-lock mechanism, which holds the breech
closed by locking in a manner not unlike the human knee, which can
sustain a heavy weight when straight, but once bent is quite easy to
continue to bend. The toggle joint in its straight position resists the
rearward force of the detonating cartridge, then "buckles" after enough
time has passed. When
a round is fired the entire breech, barrel and toggle move straight
rearward (on rails) until the toggle begins to ride up on a pair of cams
that "breaks" the toggle (makes it bend at the joint). Once the
toggle joint is no longer straight, it bends freely, allowing the bolt
to come rearward, and the striker to be cocked. The spent cartridge is
extracted by a combination extractor/loaded chamber indicator on the top
of the toggle, is ejected as the toggle nears the end of its rearward
Free Travel Info, and a new round is stripped from the magazine and
chambered as the toggle is driven back to the straight position by a
spring.

The Loading Tool has a Crown "T" proof (somehow substituted
from the commercial with a military proofed tool) and inside the holster
cover is another manufacturers cartouche dated 1915 which again
indicates that when the holster was brought into the Imperial Navy
jurisdiction it was re-worked and re-stamped to denote Marinen property.

Here we can see the early Imperial Naval dress (brass) belt
buckles. These are very rare and were worn by the Imperial
Colonial Naval Troops and the Marines aboard the warships. This is
a unique find with all the accouterments this Imperial Sailor carried
and a picture of the bearer. guns possess.

This is a very clean gun with
an excellent barrel and all matching including the 2 magazine with
the dated holster. Below is the dagger with the metal sheath and a
leather loop ring for belt wear. The blade has an Imperial Naval proof
so this was a dagger issued to this sailor.

It is very difficult to
find an all matching serial numbered gun and a matching magazine. This is
a premium rig for the serious collector who demands the best in
collectable Lugers.

The holster bears the 1915 Manufacture's cartouche and
the "M" Marinen acceptance stamp. The leather is in good condition, soft
and subtle and all parts are functional.

The sailors
("Matrosen") of the Imperial
German Navy who fought on the Western
Front during the First World War were
issued the army M1915 Infantry
Greatcoat. It was field grey with a
grey-green collar with six dull metal
buttons down the front, deep plain turn
back cuffs and two buttoned hip pockets.

The
greatcoats issued to the Matrosen
differed in two ways from those issued
to the army. Firstly they had no
shoulder straps and secondly they had
the Imperial Crown on the buttons rather
than state crowns and emblems worn by
army units. Officers' greatcoats were
double breasted. Below Right: Matrosenin Greatcoat w/Naval
Luger and Bayonet.

Imperial German Navy Pennants and Flags.

The outbreak of the Great War saw the rapid
expansion of marine forces into division size
units. Drawing on Seebatallion reservists
and conscripts, the naval infantry brigade under
Generalmajor von Wiechmann grew into the
first Marine Division; an additional Marine
Division was formed in November 1914. These two
divisions formed Marine-Korps-Flandern
[Marine Corps Flanders] under Admiral Ludwig von
Schröder (known in Germany as the "Lion of
Flanders"). In early February 1917 a third
Marine Division was organized thus giving the
naval infantry corps a strength of 60-70,000
men.

Marine units fought in 1914 at Tsingtao
and Antwerp, in 1915 at Ypres, in 1916 on the
Somme, in 1917 in Flanders and during the 1918
offensive battles in northern France.

This Luger has been cared for over 105 years
now. It is looking for a good home. Most people are satisfied with
al all matching Luger, some want the proofed tools and 2nd magazine
while others seek the full rig with the period belt and buckle.
This ensemble adds the very rare Naval Buckle and a proofed dagger along
with the picture of the owner during WWI. It doesn't get any
better than this.

The complete rig has a dagger, very
similar to the boot knife carried by solders with had a metal sheath and
a metal spring loaded clasp that fit inside the book. This dagger
is proofed with the Marinen proof and was designed for belt wear.

The blank bottom commercial magazines were stamped with the
Marinen proof . Our Matrosen
had been awarded the Iron Cross, undoubtedly a brave man in the service of
the Fatherland.

Here you can see the many places where the
serial number has been placed to identify all the machined parts of
these Lugers. It is truly inspiring to find proofs and serial
numbers wherever you look indicating the craftsmanship these guns
possess.

This excellent example
of the German 1908 Commercial Imperial Navy 4" Luger.
Purchased by the Imperial Navy for the assignment to the Marine
divisions that were deployed as ground forces in Flanders during the end
of the war. This entire rig and accompanying framed photograph is offered for $12,500.00
cash priced over-the-counter. This Luger is identified as a
curio and can be send directly to C&R licensees and above.
Questions to:
josef@phoenixinvestmentarms.com
Call for availability.

LAYAWAYS: Sometimes our
"significant other" doesn't understand the beauty, craftsmanship and
investment potential of one of these investor grade weapons. In
these circumstances where discretion becomes the better part of valor we
will accept layaways of up to one year with at least 20% down and some
activity occurring monthly to insure that after one year the sale is
completed. Cancellations of layaways forfeit 33% if done within two
months, otherwise 100%. You can transfer a layaway to a consignment sale at
any time. See "Legal" for exact terms.

We
honor a three day return policy. We will answer any questions, send you any
pictures, as detailed as you want, to insure that what we are showing you is
what you want to see, before you buy it. See
Legal.

WARNING: We do not represent these guns as safe to
fire. They are not test fired before sale; they are sold as
collectibles only. Prior to firing you should have it inspected by a
qualified individual and abide by all safety requirements.